Time for Heroes
by Ari Velarde
Summary: Edit: revamping chapters! Next generation; SYOC open until April 10th. I am looking for one male mortal; please PM me if you are interested.
1. 00

**Disclaimer: **I am writing on a fan fiction site.

**Warning: **Mild language and (somewhat) suggestive content.

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**Chapter 00: Prologue**

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If there was one thing I truly hated about school, it would be Mythology.

I just didn't understand; what purpose did learning about ancient mythology serve? Will it help me after college when I'm looking for careers to pursue? Do the myths teach any important life lessons, like fables? Chances are, as a matter of fact, very slim. Plus, at least seventy-five percent of Greek and Roman mythology is about Zeus (or Jupiter) sticking his penis into everything, making messed up babies, and screwing lives. _Oh yeah_, because I really needed to know about a fictional character's sex life to become successful.

I honestly didn't even know where to begin with this. The entire curriculum is stupid, and the Greek/Latin names? Forget it; they're like murder to my dyslexic eyes. What's the need for a two-hour exam, anyway? There was nothing to be tested on but _fairy tales_, also known to most as myths. This is also why they toss in those horrid spelling tests every now and then.

I swore that the only thing I looked forward to in Mythology class was seeing Leslie Moninger, the girl who'd been my crush since the sixth grade (yeah, that long). But she and I getting together was highly unlikely seeing as she's already gotten half of the school's population pining after her. It was frustrating really, and even more so because Leslie actually _liked_ myth class.

How and why? I have no idea.

So in summary, Mythology was a waste of my time. Therefore, I still wouldn't have seen it coming even as that Kindly One hurled herself at me.

I just wanted to make the most out of my tenth grade experience, and if that meant meeting up with an online stranger, then so be it. I'd do anything to make the boring school year worthwhile. The last thing I expected was to be thrown into situations in which I am forced to question my own sanity. Being sucked into some crazy world about the school subject I evidently despised and being chased by monsters I didn't even knew existed wasn't exactly what I had in mind for tenth grade.

When exactly had my life take such an unexpected turn?

...I'm sorry dear reader, that made no sense. The best way to start this off would be by pointing me out. See that tall, dark, and handsome Abercrombie model next to the boy in desperate need of a new wardrobe? Yeah, I'm the Abercrombie model—note the sarcasm.

While I hate expositions, perhaps I should quickly explain that confusing paragraph. See, I didn't want to be the son of Percy and Annabeth Jackson. I didn't even remember ever asking to be their son. If I did, the little sense in my life wouldn't have flown out the proverbial window as if it had meant nothing. Nor would I care if it happened regardless.

If you're reading this and thinking that none of it's ever even happened, that it's just fiction, then I envy you more than anything else in the world. Go on thinking that everything you see here is a lie, I don't mind. I honestly wouldn't care if you do. Just give your best shot at trying to keep your life as normal and as Mary Sue as humanly possible, all right?

Believe me, you wouldn't ever want to be in my place. Who knew that even being a child of a demigod could be as dangerous as being a demigod itself?

I did. My name is Noah Jackson.

I'm fifteen years old and until a few months ago, I was living an ordinary life. I had an ordinary high school to attend to, a normal home tucked into the suburbs of downtown New York, and a completely normal family. Well, at least I _thought_ my family was normal.

Am I a troubled kid?

No, actually, I'm not.

I've had straight B's all my life (much to the disapproval of my mother), which was an amazing feat considering the fact that I have both ADHD and dyslexia. I've never been bounced out of class or called to the principal's office (okay, maybe twice or thrice..). Hell, I've never even sat in detention. I was an honor roll student and am intending to keep it that way—well, at least, for the time being.

But not even my good grades could've saved me from the mess I was about to get myself into.

And boy do I wish it did.

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**Author's Ramblings:** Hello, everyone! Thank you for reading the sneak peek to my first fan fiction story. I've always wanted to do an SYOC (even if it is against the rules), so there you have it. Everything here had not been pre-read and was written at two in the morning, so forgive me if I've made mistakes. For anyone who is interested in submitting his or her character for this story: the SYOC information and application preview will be posted up soon.

Note: Leslie Moninger is not of any significance to the plot; she is merely a supporting character. Leslie is mentioned only to act as Noah's _former_ love interest and as a reminder of his life before being dragged into the mythological world. She'll appear probably only once or twice throughout the entire story.

Anyway, what do you think about Noah so far? Please leave a review on your way out!

Until next time,  
Ari V.

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**Update 02.11.14:** The SYOC is closed for now.


	2. 01: I

**Disclaimer:** I am female.

**Warning:** Mild language and (somewhat) suggestive content.

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**Chapter 01: I**

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A gentle wind wound its way through the brisk morning as sunlight glistened, transforming autumn foliage into brilliant emeralds and casting an immense shadow onto the ground. Dispersed across a playground were children who naively played about, chasing each other across the streets and whatnot. There were no cars present, and as their joyous laughter filled the air, the tune of a familiar lullaby began to chime, echoing as if traveling alongside the breeze.

_"Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down..."_

The scene felt as if it was made of porcelain—delicate and beautiful, pure even, but fragile, and very easy to crack. It seemed to be in such a way that all of humanity will cease to exist if the serenity were to be disrupted... but Fortune was a fickle mistress, and Fate a hell of a gambler. So with a faint crack of thunder, light drizzles began to pour down from the heavens, and as darkened clouds began to swirl and mask the sun, the rain began to fall at an increasing, almost violent pace.

Suddenly, the peaceful children scattered in all directions, holding their faces in terror as the rain turned a horrifying crimson. A hissing sound erupted from the ground as the red rain collected in puddles, clouds delivering a fiery maelstrom, and the lullaby morphing into ear-splitting screams. The once soft wind rampaged against the wrath of the storm, and almost instantly, dark smog littered the sky, arising from the mix of burning puddles and singed bodies. Bells rang, a monotonous clanging, as the fire droplets seared the ground. The storm grew fiercer and the sound louder as the agonized children gradually burned into nothingness, leaving behind only the throbbing melody of ringing.

"Noah!" a strange voice bellowed. "Noah Jackson..."

The voice was swallowed out by the increasing, almost unbearable sound of the bells in a matter of seconds.

_Gasp!_

Noah's eyes shot open, his breath shaky and his forehead nearly soaked with sweat. _What was hell_, he thought wildly, _what was that about?_ The nauseating stench of rotting pizza immediately greeted him upon awakening, causing him to flinch back in disgust. _I should really clean up my room; that pizza's probably been there since, what, last week?_ He held his breath as he pulled himself up and, perfectly erect, looked around his bedroom. The alarm clock continued to ring even as he shot it a menacing glare.

"Stupid clock," he muttered, rolling onto his stomach and smothering his head with a pillow, trying to drown out the annoying alarm. Eventually, though, he had to snooze it; head smothering did nothing to stop the ringing. Exasperated, Noah slammed his arm into the alarm, knocking it off the bedside table and forcibly 'shutting it up' (the thing deserved it anyway).

He ducked under the covers once again, hoping to fall back to sleep, but the sun wouldn't let him seeing as light had begun to seep through his blinds, prying his eyes open. The dried drool on his pillow was no help either. Noah let out a loud groan.

"Noah, are you up yet? Don't want to be late for your first day of school," his mother, Annabeth, called from downstairs.

Groggy and awake, he put his hands over his face and exhaled. He was excited for his first official day as a tenth grader, but the look on his face definitely said otherwise. "I'm up!" Noah countered, voice muffled. Still partially blinded, he threw the sheets off of his body, and after kicking aside his abused alarm clock, he made his way towards the bathroom. Even without the normal wake up symptoms—bed head, crusty eyes, and slightly impaired speech—he was a slow walker.

Noah stood in the front of the mirror, face puffy, and yawned. Then he stared at himself—or, more particularly, at the weird birthmark on the side of his neck. It was just... _there_, you know? The abnormally shaped patch of skin was a sore thumb compared to the rest of his body. While he was tanned to some extent, his birthmark was nearly baby-butt-white. But out of all places, why his _neck? _Why have an imperfection placed somewhere everyone can see (and by everyone, he means Leslie)?

"Noah!" His mother yelled again. "I don't hear you moving up there!"

Noah rolled his eyes as he wormed into the cleanest hoodie he could find, tossing his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm leaving this room as we speak," and with that, he began to sluggishly drag himself down the hallway.

"Hey, kid," His father, Percy, beamed at him as he entered the kitchen. "Got any new plans for this year?"

"Um... not really. Just got to hang in there until I graduate, I guess," Noah shrugged. "I feel good about today, though. It's been too long since I've last seen Leslie and Vance."

"Leslie, huh?" Percy grinned obnoxiously.

"Yeah, Leslie... that's all." He replied slowly, unsure of what to say. He obviously wasn't going to talk to _his father_ about _his crush._ The two words shouldn't even go in the same sentence.

Percy looked at him and merely nodded. Noah did not give him the engaging conversation he had hoped for, but the tone in his voice could explain much more than words could. "It's okay, I've never pressured you before. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't talk about it." He smiled and began to wolf down his blue pancakes.

"Thanks dad, but I'm pretty sure you've pressured me before." He said incredulously, grabbing a chair at the table and sitting down after having thrown his backpack onto the floor.

"Now don't get in too much trouble at school or else," Annabeth warned as she served breakfast.

"You know me," Noah joked, reaching over the table to grab a fork. "It's not like I'm gonna try to save the world or something."

Percy pushed his now empty plate away and stretched. "Who knows, it may happen at any given time, and you'll just have to be prepared."

"Let's hope not," He grimaced. "Saving the world would be too troublesome."

"Don't I know it," Percy groused, and then his parents shared a long, cryptic look, as if they were recalling some unwanted memories.

Annabeth broke the eye contact first. "I don't want any phone calls this year, Noah."

"Yeah, yeah." Noah dismissively waved her off as he leaned back onto the chair's hind legs, and in that moment, he caught sight of the wall clock. "Oh shi-" Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. "-sh kabob! I have to go!"

"Not before you finish breakfast!"

"I don't think I have time." He deadpanned.

She fixed an unwavering glare at him and Percy chuckled silently into his shoulder. He and his mother might've shared the same colored eyes, but hers were at least a thousand times more intimidating than his.

Noah sighed and quickly ravaged his meal, eager to catch the bus and finally see the friends who seemed to elude him all summer. He then rushed to gather his things and bolted out the front door. "Bye mom, dad!"

"Oi! Why'd you say 'mom' first?"

"Because he likes me better, Seaweed Brain. Now go put your plate away."

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The leaden clouds moved across the sky as a gust of wind slapped a dark lock of hair onto his forehead, causing it to sting. He shoved his hands further into his pockets. The cold had sunk into his bones just a minute after he left the house, and it looked like his ride wasn't coming. So, with only three to four minutes left until the bus gets to the next nearest stop, he began to sprint towards his destination with speed only rivaled by his anticipation to start the day. Noah turned the corner, hoping to catch up to the bus, but instead found himself falling backwards when a stiff blockade halted his passage.

"My apologies."

He looked up to see a strange man staring down at him, hand extended.

"Nah, it was my fault for going too fast. I didn't see you." Noah wondered where the man came from. Someone as large as him couldn't have appeared out of nowhere. He was also wearing one of those cloaks you would see in the Hobbit, of all things, and it wasn't as though people wore those every day. Noah cautiously studied the offered hand before reluctantly taking it and hauling himself up to his feet—but rather than releasing him, the man held on firmly, tightening his grasp.

"Your grip is a little tight." His face twisted as the joints in his fingers popped.

The man did not let up. If possible, his clutch on him became even tighter as he pushed himself into Noah, grabbing his arm and examining it. "Hm..."

"Hey, I'm in a hurry." Noah, with strength even he didn't know he had, yanked his arm back, startling the cloaked man and escaping his taut grip.

"My apologies again." The man's voice was somewhat sinister, creepy, and was carried with cracks in a strange, rigid form of speech. "If I may?" He sounded as if he did not know he was doing anything wrong. In another attempt to grab Noah's arm, more gently this time, he hunched over. After pulling in closer to Noah, he analyzed the scrape on his elbow, and then slowly changed his gaze to the peculiar birthmark on his neck.

"Listen!" Irritation wove itself into his voice. "I really have to go."

"That's a nice birthmark," the man paused eerily, "You've got there."

Noah slowly backed away and tried to inch around the man. "Birthmark?" He echoed, trying to throw the attention off his movement. He held his elbow and continued to encircle him. The birthmark on his neck warmed, creating a tingling sensation around his wound, and in the next second, the scrape on his elbow had seemed to disappear, as if it had healed on its own.

"May I... May I touch your birthmark?" The man narrowed his focus on the birthmark, onyx eyes widening in a crazed demeanor.

"Huh?" Noah's gut was telling him that he needed to leave soon. Staying any longer would have meant missing the bus, and it was too cold outside to walk to school. It also meant that he'd have to face the wrath of his mother. He shivered at the thought. "Listen, I've gotta go. I advise that you don't come here again."

But he only laughed and took one more look at Noah's elbow. "The Fates have sealed this day, boy, and the days to come are inevitable. 'Til we meet again..." Then, without any indication of movement, the man sprinted off, soon disappearing into the distance as a small silhouette.

Noah stared long and hard.

_What the hell was that?_

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**Author's Ramblings:** I... I don't even know anymore. I am not in my right mind. I'm as tired as shit right now, and I couldn't bring myself to write anything longer. I literally got up, opened my phone at two in the morning (yet again; I think this is my writing time or something), and well, this showed up. I had originally planned to introduce at least one or two characters in this chapter, but I got kind of lazy at the end (I'm a bad person xD). I know that I've also made a lot of grammar mistakes, so point them out to me if you find them.

I apologize in advance if you found this chapter boring, I couldn't think of anything. Hell, I almost fell asleep writing it myself.

As you can see, this story will be slow paced (and confusing). Don't be disappointed if your character shows up later than others; stories don't usually introduce all of the characters at once. That would be too overwhelming.

Well, anyway, do you guys like third person limited or first person (in terms of point of view) better? Do you prefer listening to all of Noah's thoughts, or just a few? I want to know what you guys think of it, and what point of view you guys would like me to write in. I'm fine with either. Please leave a review on your way out!

Until next time,  
Ari V.


	3. Good news!

You're probably tired of all these author notes, but I promise that reading this one will be worthwhile.

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Good news:

I'm done. I'm finally done.

After two stressful months, I've finished planning the plot (well, most of it). My exams are finally over too, so there will definitely be more frequent updates!

I will also be revamping the prologue and the first chapter. There are a lot of changes that need to be made since I now know what I want to do with the story. Please be sure to reread them once I tell you that I've finished revamping (will be done through the next chapter) unless you want to be confused as shit.

Below is an update I posted earlier in March. I doubt that most of you have seen it, so I'll be putting it up along with this. It explains why I was unable to update.

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Yes, I am alive.

I have two (or three, depending on whether or not the last one can be considered a reason) reasons as to why I have been taking so long to update:

**School has been taking a huge toll on me.** I had no time to spare whatsoever, which eventually lead me into becoming overworked. Yeah, darting back and forth between exams and SGA (Student Government Association) duties did that kind of thing to you. And yes, exams are still continuing for me. Since we've been snowed in for so many days, the student board had been forced to constantly delay the exams and reschedule it for the following week. This is fine and all, but Mother Nature always had to be a bitch and snow on us nearly every weekend in the last month. It was awful to say the least. Fortunately, this week is the last exam week for me, so let's all rejoice!

**Outlining the plot is a lot more work than it seems.** I can't just snap my fingers and make a good plot appear before me - it just doesn't work that way. I had to do a bunch of research on Greek and Roman mythology just to make sure I had my facts right, and then I had to incorporate whatever myths I can into the story to make it fit while still remaining faithful to the original conflict. The twists were fun to make and easy to come up with though, so that was okay. I also had to make sure that every character makes at least two cameos. I have to write everything out too, including the small details. If you couldn't tell already, writing everything out is very difficult for me. I'm just hoping I'll still have you by the time I finish planning.

Yes, I did say before that I've already written the second chapter, but now that I'm going deep into the plot, I decided that I didn't want that to happen anymore. Therefore, I did not post it.

**My mother has recently undergone surgery for her stomach. **This isn't much of a reason, but I had to do everything around the house while she's trying to recover. This meant that I barely had time to get onto the computer, so I ended up taking a break from fanfiction for a while.

So...yeah. These are the reasons why I haven't been updating lately. No, they aren't excuses. These are legit reasons. I hope you understand and will wait patiently.

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Please excuse any grammatical mistakes and/or awkward phrasing. I am, once again, tired as fuck. It's 3:30 AM right now, and I know that I should be getting some shut-eye, but I was really excited to tell you guys the good news, so...this happened. xD

Until next time,  
Ari V.


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